SunHydro to Receive Toyota Fuel Cell Vehicles

VEHICLES WILL FUEL AT NEW SOLAR-POWERED HYDROGEN FUELING STATION

WALLINGFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SunHydro today announced an agreement with Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. (TMS) to place ten (10) Toyota Advanced Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicles (FCHV-adv) in the Connecticut area this fall. The vehicles will support the new SunHydro solar-powered hydrogen fueling station, located at Proton Energy Systems’ headquarters in Wallingford, Conn. Proton Energy Systems is the world leader in on-site hydrogen generation, and its equipment will be used at the SunHydro station.

“The FCHV-adv demonstration program is a key step in preparing the market for advanced technologies”

SunHydro is the vision of successful entrepreneur Tom Sullivan, founder of Lumber Liquidators, who is expanding his business focus from hardwood floors to hydrogen fuel.

“This is a big step for Connecticut, our country, and the overall evolution of alternative fuels in the U.S.,” said Tom Sullivan, SunHydro founder and Proton Energy Systems owner. “We are very excited to partner with Toyota on this initiative, which will help connect people with hydrogen fuel cell technology,” said Sullivan.

SunHydro is leading the development of an East Coast Hydrogen Highway, which will make it possible to drive a fuel cell vehicle from Maine to Florida. The Wallingford, Conn. station will be the first station on this Highway. When completed, the Highway series of SunHydro stations will be the world’s first privately funded network of hydrogen fueling stations.

“We are looking forward to helping to lead the charge for solar-powered hydrogen fuel by building infrastructure that makes this alternative fuel more accessible to the general consumer,” said Michael Grey, President of SunHydro.

The FCHV-adv vehicles in Connecticut are part of a Toyota nationwide fuel cell demonstration program that will place more than 100 vehicles over the next three years. The ten fuel cell vehicles will be kept in Connecticut and will be used by SunHydro/Proton Energy Systems staff, in addition to other community members.

“The FCHV-adv demonstration program is a key step in preparing the market for advanced technologies,” said Craig Scott, TMS advanced technology vehicle manager. “The placement of the fuel cell vehicles in the Connecticut market will increase awareness of fuel technology and spur development of much-needed infrastructure prior to our planned market introduction in 2015.”

About SunHydro
SunHydro is the world’s first chain of privately funded fueling stations that provides hydrogen to fuel cell cars. SunHydro’s hydrogen is produced right on-site using solar and water, which means zero emissions. The company is developing and building a network of hydrogen fuel stations all along the east coast with larger plans for national expansion (www.sunhydro.com).

About Proton Energy Systems
Proton Energy Systems designs and manufactures proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrochemical systems to make hydrogen from water in a zero pollution process producing safe, pure, reliable onsite hydrogen to meet today’s global hydrogen requirements. Proton Energy Systems has been developing and manufacturing world-class electrolysis systems since 1996, with thousands of units deployed world-wide, on every continent. With a reputation for building robust, reliable, and safe systems, federal, state, and commercial partners repeatedly seek the creative solutions that Proton Energy Systems has proven it is capable of delivering. For more information, visit www.protonenergy.com.

About Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc.
Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. is the marketing, sales, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion. Established in 1957, TMS markets products and services through a network of nearly 1,500 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers which sold more than 1.77 million vehicles in 2009. Toyota directly employs nearly 34,000 people in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $18 billion. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyota.com, www.lexus.com, www.scion.com or www.toyotanewsroom.com.